President Karol Nawrocki delivered a speech during the Polish Armed Forces Day celebrations, in which he referred, among other things, to the “Vistula Line”, thereby rebuking Prime Minister Donald Tusk. He also spoke about allocating 5 percent of GDP to defense. “This is a mobilization for the Polish government,” noted presidential spokesman Rafał Leśkiewicz.
Military parades on land, in the air, and, for the first time, at sea, as well as military picnics, marked this year’s Armed Forces Day celebrations. In the speeches of top politicians, the dominant themes were the need for national unity and the necessity of investing in security and the military.
Mobilization for the government
Speaking on the TV Republika program, Guest Today hosted by Danuta Holecka, the spokesperson for the President of the Republic of Poland, Rafał Leśkiewicz, commented on yesterday’s events.
“It was an exceptional parade, and the first in which President Karol Nawrocki participated as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. He delivered a very strong, determined speech. It was exceptional because it referred to history, the state of the Polish military, and the plans he has for the armed forces. But it was also a very clear signal preceding President Trump’s talks with Putin,”
said Leśkiewicz.
In his speech before the parade began, the President announced that he would push for a decision to allocate 5 percent of GDP to defense. He also stated that the Polish army should, in a short time, become not the third, but the strongest army in NATO in Europe. He declared that he would work toward this goal over the coming years.
“This is a mobilization for the Polish government, which must find the funds. We all care about Poland’s security,”
Leśkiewicz commented on TV Republika.
Poland is one. The Vistula Line is not its border
“I deeply believe that the only emotion that will be present in the new National Security Strategy and the implementing documents will be the emotion of the Polish raison d’état. There will be a clear declaration to defend every centimeter and every scrap of Polish land. Because Poland is one, and the Vistula Line is not its border,” was another strong passage from the President’s speech. In this way, he referred to the shameful defense plan of Donald Tusk’s first government, which was to be carried out along the Vistula Line.
“These were very strong words, referring to matters related to one of the President’s associates, Professor Cenckiewicz. The ‘Vistula Line’ is a kind of metaphor referring to documents declassified by Minister Błaszczak and documents held in the Military Historical Bureau, for which Professor Cenckiewicz is currently facing charges, an utterly absurd situation. But on the other hand, the President pointed out that this Vistula Line cannot be the boundary where we stop if, God forbid, an attack on the Republic of Poland were to occur. Poland is a country that must be able to defend itself, not at the Vistula Line, but at its actual borders,”
said Leśkiewicz.